How to remove the battery without ruining plastic.

[ffpikachu91]

Hello, this is my first post here. (I'm so sorry I accidentally posted this in tips and tricks first).

I have recently started collecting Tamagotchi, and I have quite a few of the minis in various colors. I have been removing the batteries for storage purposes, but this has proven itself very difficult and frustrating.

At first, I tried removing the batteries with my thumbs, but after bending the nail away from the nail bed on both thumbs, I learned this was ineffective. So, I found that the only way that has worked for me is to pry the battery out with a tiny flathead screwdriver. But this causes little dents in the plastic next to the battery terminal! I know this may not seem like a big deal, but when this happens, the tama is no longer in mint condition ads far as I am concerned and it really upsets me.

So, my question is (sorry for the long story), is there a trick to getting the batteries out of the minis without making little dents in the plastic?

Thanks!

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Try prying it out in the gap next to the battery in the bottom left corner, right below the arrow:

I'm pretty sure that slot was designed for that and I've successfully popped out the battery with a very small flathead screwdriver, with a practically unnoticable, very light scratch. I would recommend gently placing the screwdriver in the slot and forcing upward instead of down to prevent accidental dents If that light scratch I described worries you, then I'll further state that one would have to be looking for that to notice it.

I tried prying the battery out with a toothpick but it broke, so it looks like only flathead screwdrivers will actually work.

 

[ffpikachu91]

Thank you for the detailed reply! So, it pretty much has to cause a little scratch, then?

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

I don't think it has to cause a scratch all the time, just because it got a very faint scratch it will probably do that again.

 

[ffpikachu91]

Hmm...maybe the screwdriver I was using was slightly too thick...maybe if I can find a tiny enough one, I can get it in the slot without touching the plastic...

 

[TamagotchiTreasury]

Hmm...maybe the screwdriver I was using was slightly too thick...maybe if I can find a tiny enough one, I can get it in the slot without touching the plastic...

You're like me. I hate damaging collectibles.

 

[ffpikachu91]

You're like me. I hate damaging collectibles.

Yes! Even little cosmetic imperfections bother me, depending on what the collectible is. Have you has issues with scratches or dents when taking out the batteries?

 

[TheYatagarasu]

I use the teeniest, tiniest flathead screwdriver I have (0.5mm, I think) to pry out Mini batteries - I slip it under the bottom left corner like KB said! I haven't noticed the screwdriver scratching up my Tama, and I tend to fret about these things, like you!

Then again, not to sound un-modest but I've gotten good at these things - I have very gentle hands because I work at a microscope most of the day, moving the tiniest pieces of plant tissue around with tiny forceps and needles...

Also, to be quite frank, the Mini battery slot design is kinda bad. It's like they don't want you to get the battery out without scratching the thing up.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Also, to be quite frank, the Mini battery slot design is kinda bad. It's like they don't want you to get the battery out without scratching the thing up.

The battery slot was purposefully designed to be snug otherwise the device would keep turning off. It really is an improvement from the older design present in the vintage models where the batteries are held down by the back cover alone, thus the batteries fall out if it removed. For vintage versions this is especially a pain since if one doesn't have a back cover - like I do for the three I purchased in a lot - then the devices are almost unusable as the power turning off equals a full on reset (there is no download feature). Thus the battery slot the mini uses - and all Tamagotchis that use a CR032 battery - is quite useful as if the back cover is missing, the device can still function as the battery is held down by the slot alone. The snugness is merely a side effect of its function.

One little tidbit is that the method I mentioned for the mini can also be used with other CR032 taking tamas, which is any Connection model.

 

[Penguin-keeper]

Also, to be quite frank, the Mini battery slot design is kinda bad. It's like they don't want you to get the battery out without scratching the thing up.

To be fair, they probably consider occasional minor scratches to an area that the user will never see during normal use to be perfectly acceptable. They are a toy company, after all, and they design their products with being played with in mind.

If they were a company producing high-end items aimed at collectors, I'd imagine that they'd design things differently.

 

[Hoky]

"If they were a company producing high-end items aimed at collectors, I'd imagine that they'd design things differently."

As someone who collects some higher-end action figures I can say.... they do not. XD

 

[Penguin-keeper]

"If they were a company producing high-end items aimed at collectors, I'd imagine that they'd design things differently."

As someone who collects some higher-end action figures I can say.... they do not. XD

Seriously?! I'm genuinely surprised by that.

Still, if they were intending for their toys never to be opened and used, I'm sure that they'd at least ship them without batteries included.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Maybe it really is the case that there is no way to make a battery slot that could still function and have a scratch-free removal. Logically, this makes sense as a looser battery slot makes the battery safer to remove as it requires less strength, yet it also makes it more likely to fall out during normal use. From what Hoky said, I'd imagine this is also the case with several other collectibles where there is no way to make them any differently. In a similar vein, I remember reading a listing for this one expensive anime figure, and the company's blanket disclaimer more or less said "because these figures are mass produced, they may come with missing paint or flaws; if you want them to be 'perfect', paint them yourself". I bet some people were already prepared for that.

[...] they'd at least ship them without batteries included.

So you can scratch them up yourself Imagine someone on the Bandai help line saying "It is your fault for wanting to put batteries in them"

 

[ffpikachu91]

Well, since posting this question, I have done some experimenting, and I found a method that, while not very efficient, IS pretty safe. So if it helps anyone who is like me:

I used those wooden coffee stirrers. They are like popsicle sticks but skinnier. I was persistent, and it broke like three of them, but it did eventually get the battery out, with no risk of damaging the plastic.